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Honors Program
Honors Tracker

People Involved

While the thesis is a self-directed, student-driven project, a team of support staff and faculty are in place to help direct, facilitate, and mentor you through the process.

Honors Program Executive Committee:

Collectively, the Honors Program Directors and Advisement Supervisor oversee the Honors thesis requirement, policies, and process. This committee reviews all Honors thesis prospectuses and must approve a prospectus before the student begins research or receives thesis funding. The Executive Committee retains authority over the final acceptance and approval of Honors theses for University Honors graduation requirements and publication.

Honors Student Advisors:

Our Honors student advisors are available to talk about program requirements, deadlines, graduation requirements, event details, or other general information about the thesis. Honors student advisors are located in the Honors Program Office in 102 MSRB. You can reach them by phone at (801) 422-5497, by email at honors@byu.edu, or in person from 8–5 M–F (except during devotional hour).

Thesis Committee:

The thesis committee is comprised of a Faculty Chair, a Faculty Reader and the Department Honors Coordinator. In the event an Honors Coordinator is serving as the Faculty Chair on a student thesis committee, a second faculty reader is required. There must always be a minimum of three faculty members on a thesis committee.

Honors Policy Note:  Honors thesis committee chairs must be BYU full-time, tenure-track faculty.  Honors Coordinators are, by nature of their assignment, also full-time faculty.  Whenever possible, faculty readers should also be full-time faculty; however, the faculty reader(s) may be visiting/part-time/adjunct if their expertise is important to the thesis research. Outside experts (non-BYU personnel) may be included as a fourth member of a committee. Students should clearly articulate an adjunct’s role, their qualifications, and importance to the thesis project in their prospectus. All members of the committee should be available through the complete thesis process, including the final defense, so students should avoid including committee members who do not plan to remain at BYU. (Adopted March 2017)

Thesis Committee Chair:

  • Selected by student in consultation with Department Honors Coordinator
  • Full-time, tenure-track faculty
  • Lead member of thesis committee
  • Files for IRB approval on behalf of the student when required

A student’s thesis committee chair supervises the development of a student’s honors thesis from inception to completion. The student-faculty chair relationship is therefore key to a successful thesis experience – even more so than the topic itself. Students may consider faculty from whom they have had courses, whose scholarly research coincides with their interests, or others recommended by the Honors Coordinator or Honors Program. We encourage students and faculty to focus on a good mentoring relationship first, and a specific thesis topic second. Both may need to be flexible and willing to explore options before settling on a specific area of research; however, it is up to the thesis committee chair (not the student) to determine if a topic shows sufficient depth and promise for an Honors thesis based on Honors Program guidelines and discipline-specific standards. The topic must also be of an appropriate scope to allow students to complete the work in a reasonable timeframe (usually 2-4 semesters).

The committee chair works with the student to develop a prospectus and approves it via the Honors Thesis Tracker. Other members of the thesis committee then add comments and grant approval when the prospectus meets expectations. Once all committee members have approved the prospectus, it proceeds to the Honors Program for final approval.

 It is critical that students have regular, scheduled meetings with their committee chair throughout the Honors thesis project, and we expect students to demonstrate initiative and follow-through in keeping their chair and other committee members informed of their progress. When the chair and other members of the thesis committee have read revised drafts and agree the thesis is ready to defend, each committee member certifies readiness. The student then coordinates with the committee to schedule a suitable date and time for the defense. The chair conducts the defense, and, in cooperation with other committee members, determines whether the student will pass the defense. The chair is responsible for entering the decision of the committee and summarizing committee comments on the Honors Thesis Tracker.

Faculty Reader

  • Selected by student in consultation with faculty advisor
  • Full-time faculty recommended; may be visiting or adjunct faculty
  • Member of thesis committee
  • May represent secondary field expertise

With the help of the thesis committee chair, students select a faculty member to serve as another expert in their field of research and act as a third reader. Often this person represents a second discipline for an interdisciplinary thesis or another faculty member from the same or a similar department as the chair. A reader's role is usually simpler than that of the chair; he or she reviews and must approve the thesis prospectus at the beginning of the process, and then reviews the final thesis and participates in the thesis defense. Students should consult with faculty readers more regularly where their input and expertise is valuable to the thesis research or writing process. Regardless of their day-to-day level of involvement, students should keep faculty readers apprised of progress throughout.

Students will want to choose someone who is supportive, well qualified, and who can be objective in their analysis of the thesis. While we strongly encourage students to select full-time faculty members to serve as readers, visiting faculty or adjunct faculty may be selected when their area of expertise is valuable to the thesis topic, and the faculty member will be available (at BYU) through to completion of the thesis.

The Honors Coordinator:

  • Appointed by Department
  • Full-time, tenured faculty
  • Major/Field-specific mentor for Honors students
  • Member of thesis committee
  • Honors representative at department level

The Honors Coordinator serves as the departmental liaison between the Honors Program and students in the various disciplines across campus. Appointed by each department and approved by the Honors Program, Honors Coordinators are full-time, tenured faculty members who regularly work with the Honors Program and are qualified to advise students on the Honors thesis. The Coordinator should know the faculty in their discipline and their general research interests in order to better refer students to possible mentors and field experts. We strongly encourage Coordinators to facilitate introductions between students and other faculty. He or she is also familiar with what makes a good thesis in their respective field and can assist students in identifying possible thesis topics. If a chosen thesis topic is interdisciplinary in nature, the Honors Coordinator in a student’s home major may also refer them to the Coordinator of the other discipline relevant to the thesis. A current list of the Coordinators for each major is available here.

As the representative of Honors in each department, the Honors Coordinator gives approval for Honors thesis prospectuses in their department. Coordinators must read each thesis prospectus, work through any concerns or issues with students and faculty chairs, and grant approval before the prospectus moves to the Honors Program for final approval. The Honors Coordinator helps the faculty committee and the Honors Program determine whether students have demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of the subject, if their focus and methods are appropriate, and whether their research will need IRB approval to proceed.

Coordinators serve as the third member of the student’s thesis committee going forward, and therefore we anticipate Coordinators will be in touch with students from the prospectus stage, through the research and writing process, to the final defense. Throughout this process, Coordinators work with the thesis committee chair and reader. These three individuals together comprise the student’s thesis committee. Therefore, as a member of the thesis committee, Honors Coordinators attend and participate in the thesis defense and act as the Honors Program representative in granting final thesis approval at the department level.